Day Twelve (Consulate Appt, Pearl Market, White Swan Red Couch Pictures, and Medicine Street)

What a day today. We awoke to a dreary rainy day, and it stayed that way all day. But we weren't going to let that rain on our parade. We had lots of things planned for today, and no rain was gonna keep us from completing our agenda.

First we went to our consulate appointment. No cameras were allowed, so we took a few pictures of Chynna in her adorable outfit. The consulate appointment is basically a swearing in ceremony where you stand in for your child and swear the documents you've completed to that point have been true and correct. Once that was done, Chynna is now officially our daughter in the U.S. eyes. As soon as she steps on U.S. soil in San Francisco she is officially a U.S. citizen. What an amazing process.

Funny side note (to my family, they will get a kick out of this): Like I said it was raining, well when we got off the bus, I told mom to hurry out of the rain, and as we weren't allowed to bring strollers into the consulate, I was carrying Chynna in my flip flops that I wear a lot. Ray was basically running ahead of Mom. Well I hit a slick spot on the pavement, lost my footing and as one of the girls in our group said, I fell in complete slow motion (and quite gracefully too I'm told). Meanwhile all I could think of was don't drop Chynna. And I didn't, but I got quite wet on one leg but Chynna was safe the entire time, not a drop of wetness got on her and she stayed safely in my arms. Mom keeps saying it's karma for the Haiti incident....I still think her Haiti incident was funnier than my mishap today.

Anyway, after we were done there, we came back to the hotel til the afternoon. But then we were off in the rain again, this time to the closed White Swan for pictures. What fun that was. The other babies would start crying and trying to scoot off the couch and Chynna would look at them like, what's wrong with you. Then we were off to the medicine street, where they sell all kinds of things for any ailment from dried sea horses, to live scorpions, to snakes, and chickens, and ducks, and turtles, you name it they sell it. Ray and I feel adventurous and we ate some black ants (tasted like charcoal, or what I would imagine charcoal would taste like, hehe). I didn't get to eat my scorpion on a stick or a starfish, oh well.

We also got to experience the pearl market. This is a 5 story building with all wholesale jewelers selling gems. Amazing is all I can say. Then finally we went back to Shamian Island to shop some more and to eat at Lucy's.

Tomorrow we get Chynna's visa, and take the bullet train to Hong Kong. Last stop til we leave for home. We are so close now, and beyond ready to begin our trek back home and to our friends and family whom we miss so very much.

Enjoy the pictures from our adventures today. I'll post again when I can, I just don't know when that will be. Until then.